Flat panel displays are utilized in a variety of settings including, but by no means limited to, laptop or notebook computers. (“Laptop” and “notebook” are terms which may be construed interchangeably herein.) Essentially, in a laptop or notebook, flat panel displays (particularly LCD display screens) are supported by a hinged cover which supports and holds the flat panel display, while a lower hinged cover supports a keyboard and/or other components.
If the laptop is in a “closed” position, with the upper and lower hinged covers disposed adjacent one another and (usually) “locked” or held essentially immobile with respect to one another, it is often the case that pressure applied to the external surfaces of the laptop can cause damage to components internal thereto. Most particularly, pressure applied to a rear portion of an “upper cover” (or “flat panel cover”, i.e., that cover which supports/holds a flat panel screen), i.e., that portion disposed externally when the laptop is in a closed position, can often damage or break the flat panel screen.
Some conventional solutions to this very common problem have involved making the flat panel cover thicker or more bulky, or by increasing a clearance between the back of the display (or screen) itself and an inner surface of the cover. However, added bulk is common to all these solutions, which is completely incompatible with recent trends (guided largely by consumer preferences) towards thinner and lighter laptops.
Accordingly, a compelling need has been recognized in connection with providing solutions to the ongoing challenge of minimizing the risk of damage to flat panel display screens but in a manner to avoid the disadvantages of prior solutions.